Jun 16, 2012

Brooke's 12 reasons to rejoice as of late:

1. I planted my very first little herb garden. Eeek! So cute. I'm slowly learning how to take care of my little plants. Last night I noticed all but one (apparently oregano is pretty hearty) were completely wilted... Oops. I promptly watered them and this morning they've perked right back up. The herbs are now on a strict every-other-day watering schedule. Cross your fingers.

2. Springtime is glorious. I can't get enough of it.

3. One of my best friends from high school is having her first baby in just a few weeks! I am honestly going to burst with excitement for her.

4. Speaking of cute bellies and babies in them, another of my best friends is also expecting her second little one this fall! Her first is a handsome boy. I just love that my friends are having babies because then I get to hold them... Sigh. Favorite thing in this world.

5. My brain has adapted well to typing with precisely nine fingers. While cutting some things for school with one of those huge cutter things,
I, um, well, chopped the end of my left index finger off. I know. Not a
pretty thought. I will spare you the pictures of the injured digit.
It's healing well... Enough said?

6. Four days from now my cousin, Nathaniel, is leaving for a two-year church mission to Denmark. He is seriously going to be an incredible missionary and I am so happy for him.

7. My almost-eight-year-old brother and I had a little date night last night. We went "scootering" and he taught me how to jump with my scooter. Yes, the boy's got skillz. We also explored the so-called forest at the end of our street and found a little stream with some cute snails. We played for a while in the dirt and then headed home for ice cream sundaes complete with fresh cherries on top and a classic movie, Peter Pan. Love date nights with my little brother!

8. Summer break is two weeks away! That said, there is a major downside to this fact. I am really, really going to miss my sweet 4th grade students.

9. I am signing up for watercolor classes and I CAN'T WAIT!

10. This
summer I will be living vicariously through pictures and stories of my
sisters' world-wide, awesome adventures. Sister #3 is in Peru as I type,
and sister #2 is going to Ghana in a week. I'm so excited for
them! And also extremely jealous, obviously. Growing up and having a real career is
so hard... Wah, wah, wah.

11. I am actually updating my blog.

12. And it includes chocolate.

Oh my goodness. These little chocolate truffles are so awesome. Like, so. They are completely delicious and are super, duper, ooper healthy. Go make them now. And then also later, because you'll want to.

Notes:If you are interested in knowing the amazing health benefits packed in these little chocolate bites, head on over to Sarah Britton's post here. She explains the great benefits of raw cacao, walnuts, and dates. You can use either chia or hemp seeds in this recipe. Both are delicious and wonderfully good for you. To learn about chia seeds, which are also amazingly packed with nutrition, check out this page. And for some info on hemp, see here. Enjoy!

Place all ingredients in a food processor except the dates. Blend on high until everything is finely ground, a minute or two.

Add the dates one at a time through the feed tube of the processor while it is running. You should end up with a mixture that appears as cake-like crumbs, but when pressed will easily stick together. If the mixture does not hold together well, add more dates or a few drops of water.

Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of the dough and gently roll into balls. Dust with a little cacao, if desired.

6
friendly note(s):

Wow, these look great! How impressive. One question though -- after comparing your recipe with the one that inspired you, from My New Roots, I noticed you added some oats. How do the oats change the final texture and result? Just curious! Thanks for sharing these. :)

The oats really don't change the texture much. This version is not very different from the recipe with all walnuts. After experimenting a bit, I found that a few other similar recipes included oats in their ingredient list. Personally, I use them for a slightly broader nutritional profile (as you may have noticed, I also added the chia seeds/hemp seeds for the same reason) AND they also cost less than walnuts. It's kind of like the best of both worlds. :) You can certainly make these with all walnuts; they're delicious and healthy both ways. Thanks for your nice comment!